How do I get from the airport to Venice?

Marco Polo Airport (VCE) sits on the mainland about 13 km north of Venice's historic center. The ATVO express bus to Piazzale Roma is the fastest, cheapest transfer into the city. Tickets are €10 (about $11.40), and the ride takes 20 minutes on the A4 motorway, with departures every 20 minutes from 5:20am to midnight. ACTV's local line 5 covers the same route for the same fare but adds a few stops, so allow 25 minutes. Both terminate at Piazzale Roma, the point where the road dead-ends at the lagoon. No vehicle goes further into Venice. From there, walk 3 minutes to the vaporetto dock and take line 1 (every stop along the Grand Canal, about 45 minutes to San Marco) or line 2 (express, 28 minutes). A single vaporetto ride costs €9.50 and stays valid for 75 minutes. Buy the ticket at the ACTV window inside the Piazzale Roma terminal before you join the dock queue.

The Alilaguna water bus lets you skip the bus-to-boat transfer entirely. From the arrivals hall, follow the covered walkway about 8 minutes to the airport's own lagoon jetty. The Blue line runs to Murano, Fondamente Nove, and San Marco. Allow 75 to 90 minutes for the full route. The Orange line reaches Rialto in about 70 minutes. Tickets are €15 one-way, €27 return, with boats roughly every 30 minutes from 6:15am to midnight. The Alilaguna costs more and takes longer than the bus. That said, your first sight of Venice will be from water level, the lagoon smelling of salt and wet timber, with the dome of Santa Maria della Salute (built 1631) rising from the waterline ahead of you. It is a slower arrival, but the one you remember.

Water taxis are Venice's premium transfer. A licensed motoscafo seats up to 10 passengers and runs €100 to €130 from VCE, depending on which sestiere your hotel is in. The ride takes about 30 minutes and drops you at a dock within steps of your front door. Between 3 or 4 travelers, the per-person cost falls to €25-35, which is close to the combined bus-and-vaporetto fare but far more comfortable after a red-eye. Book through the Consorzio Motoscafi desk inside the arrivals hall rather than negotiating with drivers at the jetty. Regular land taxis reach only Piazzale Roma, at a fixed fare of €40 for the 15-minute drive. You still need the vaporetto from there, which makes them the poorest value unless your hotel happens to sit right at Piazzale Roma.

Budget carriers like Ryanair and Wizz Air often land at Treviso Airport (TSF), 40 km northwest of Venice. The ATVO bus from TSF costs €14 and takes about 70 minutes to Piazzale Roma. Departures are timed to flight arrivals, but confirm the schedule if your plane lands after 10pm. There is no rail connection from TSF. One thing nobody warns you about is the luggage walk. Once you leave Piazzale Roma, the path to your hotel likely crosses 3 or 4 canal bridges, each with stone stairs, no ramps, no escalators. In late July the air sits thick and warm, over 50% humidity, and you feel every step with a full suitcase. If your hotel is deeper in Cannaregio or Castello, take the vaporetto for that final leg. The fare buys you a breeze off the canal and saves your shoulders.